Many apparatus and methods exist for automatically preparing cassette spools or reels wound with tape material on original backing paper or film. This prepeg tape material may be a composite, unidirectional tape which may be used to form a laminate. In one existing apparatus/method, tape material on backing paper is unrolled from a supply reel, the tape material is cut into the required configuration, removed from the original backing paper, and then transferred to another release backing paper and wound onto a cassette spool. However, the transferring of the tape material to another backing paper may create problems. The tape material may lose some of its tacking ability, may not align as well on the new backing paper, may not adhere well to the new backing paper, and may have placement problems when placed on a working surface. Further, the new backing paper may have a certain amount of stretch which may cause tension problems, may form wrinkles when the tape is placed onto a working surface, and/or may not allow good tacking of the tape material onto the working surface. This may cause problems with tape lifting from the working surface, or may cause wrinkles to be formed in the laminate being formed with the tape material. Moreover, the process of putting the tape material onto a new backing paper may require an excessive number of machines, may increase the costs, may increase the time required, may reduce efficiency, and/or may lead to one or more other problems.
An apparatus, and/or method for removing tape material from backing paper, is needed to decrease one or more problems associated with one or more of the existing apparatus and/or methods.